Each Sunday evening we will review our favorite and least favorite events of the previous week, and share our perspective on how the team is doing. Please enjoy responsibly.
Cheers! (Something good that happened)
Jonathan Lucroy is a Two-Time All-Star: For a while there Ryan Braun was a perennial All-Star before PEDs took the bloom of his rose. Now he can’t even get in on the Final Vote. Thankfully, the Brewers have a legitimate, not-just-a-pity-pick-since-every-team-gets-one all-star in Jonathan Lucroy. This is only Lucroy’s second All-Star Game, and as you might recall his first one was a doozy. In 2014, he was 2-for-2 and drove in two of the NL’s there runs with a pair of run-scoring doubles.
[mlbvideo id=”34580805″ width=”400″ height=”224″ /]Lucroy will have a 1.000 all-star batting average going into this year’s game. Not too shabby.
Buzzkill (Something forgettable that happened)
Aaron Hill’s Tenure as a Brewer is Already Over: There are plenty of fans of rebuilding teams who are anxious to deal just about every player by the trade deadline. If you tune into local sports talk radio, there is no shortage of folks calling in and talking about how they can’t wait to get rid of Ryan Braun, Jonathan Lucroy, and any other player not currently in a coma. Personally, I’m always a little sad to see anyone go, even if it’s the right thing for the team and the player. Call me sentimental.
Even though Hill was only in Milwaukee a few months, I get the impression he earned a lot of respect for being a versatile defender with a veteran’s poise. He got off to a rough start, hitting only .169 at the end of April. When he was traded to the Red Sox last week, Hill’s average was .283, which says a lot about his moxie. He only played 78 games as a Brewer, which didn’t give him a lot of time to distinguish himself, but he did have one stand-out performance – May 7 in Cincinnati when he hit three homers, including a grand slam.
[mlbvideo id=”670568883″ width=”400″ height=”224″ /]Hill will never make the Wall of Honor, but at least we’ll have that one game to remember him by. And if we don’t remember that, we’ll probably remember the fact that Hill looks about 15 years older than he actually is. Seriously, he turned 34 in spring and he looks almost 50.
Here’s to You (Standout player(s) or play(s) of the week)
Jonathan Villar Delivers First Walk-Off Win of 2016: Not having a walk-off win until July isn’t something most fans notice, just like most of us don’t know off-hand how many extra-inning games the Brewers have played. Then you’ll be watching a game when the Brewers are down by a run in the ninth and Brian Anderson will remark, “the Brewers have not had a walk-off yet the year.” It’s a perfectly relevant fact to point out, but the lack of walk-offs isn’t the kind of thing that inspires a sense of loss. It’s possible a team might not have a walk-off all year, but I doubt there would be any kind of sabermetric impact if that were the case.
Still, walk-offs are pretty sweet, especially when they come against the goddamn Cardinals. And even if a replay review delays the celebration.
[mlbvideo id=”911180483″ width=”400″ height=”224″ /]Back on the Wagon (Thoughts on the week ahead)
Lucroy puts his 1.000 All-Star Game batting average on the line Tuesday, assuming he gets an at-bat. Then the Brewers open the second half of the year in Cincinnati. Without Reds-killer Hill in the lineup, can any Brewer have a multi-homer game? The 2016 home stretch begins next week…
(Image: John Minchillo/AP)
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